ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION - Mike Griffiths and Associates

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origin (Figure 107).
9.0 DISCUSSION
The results of the staged evaluation programme at Ladybridge Farm allow a number of conclusions to be drawn
regarding the nature of archaeological features within this area. The battery of techniques used has proved to
be complementary and results suggest a general dearth of archaeological remains at the site. Indeed, there is
little by way of archaeological remains for most periods, particularly from the Bronze Age to the modern period.
The results do, however, point to an area of prehistoric activity in the southern part of the site, focussed towards
the highest ground in the southwest corner of the area of investigation (Zone C). This can be interpreted as part
of a wider area of Neolithic activity, located on land surrounding an in-filled lake, the relict bank of which was
identified in Zone E.
9.1 CROPMARKS AND HISTORIC FIELD BOUNDARIES
The linear and curvilinear features identified from aerial photography were largely targeted by trial trenches and
proved to be of no archaeological interest. All of the cropmarks identified within the area of investigation,
including the concentric of features to the west of Ladybridge Farm, seem likely to be either geological in origin,
reflect surface topography, or represent temporary paths into the farmland.
9.2 GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY
Of the thirty-five evaluation excavation trenches, fifteen were positioned specifically to investigate anomalies,
or intersect possible linear features, detected by geophysical survey. Of these, twelve were designed to target
features identified within the magnetometer data (Interventions 17, 18, 23, 26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 36 and 38)
and seven trenches were located to investigate anomalies identified by soil resistance survey (Interventions 8,
9, 13, 29, 30, 33 and 34). In some cases a trench was designed to encounter both kinds of anomaly as well as
cropmarks. With the exception of seven sinkhole features and two undated pits the features identified in the
geophysical data were not encountered archaeologically. In addition several areas of magnetic variation or high
and low resistance were confirmed as variation in the underlying natural subsoil. The modern agricultural pit
encountered at the easternmost end of Intervention 13 was detected during soil resistance survey.
The magnetometer survey proved successful in identifying the location and distribution of sink hole features
due to subsequent subsiding fills containing more dished ploughsoil, which was more magnetic than the
surrounding natural subsoil. In addition the features tended to have higher moisture levels than the surrounding
sand and gravel and were therefore also susceptible to detection through soil resistance survey. Other than these
large features the geophysics proved capable of locating modern field drains and ploughing but little by way of
archaeological significance.
93. FIELDWALKING AND TEST PIT EXCAVATION
Fieldwalking and test pit excavation finds were dominated by late post-medieval and modern material derived
FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY SPECIALISTS